Wireless devices attached to pets, children, or old people allow their loved ones to keep track of them via a mobile device application interface. The wireless devices estimate their position from global positioning system (GPS), cell tower, and/or Wi-Fi beacon reception.
When a wireless device detects one or more Wi-Fi beacons, it can estimate its position based on the locations of the beacons. However, the accuracy of the position estimate depends on how well the locations of the beacons are known.
One way to determine beacon locations is to physically survey them; i.e. visit each beacon site and record beacon identification and location information in a database. Such a survey, while potentially producing high quality beacon location information, is quite tedious. Furthermore, the vast majority of Wi-Fi beacons are not accessible in this manner.
Thus, what are needed are systems and methods for estimating Wi-Fi beacon locations without having to physically survey them.